Properly designed, installed, and crashed-on frame sliders will not bend the frame. The thing to consider is the fact that frame sliders are designed to save the bodywork and frame in a specific kind of crash...a lowside. All they do is offer an alernative sliding surface for the crashing bike. In a crash where the bike does anything more than slide on its side, there is the possibility, even liklihood, that other damage will occur. That includes bending the frame. However, a properly designed slider will include a bolt that is soft enough to bend (or break) with enough side-loading so it doesn't transfer all of the crash energy to the frame.
Larry
Larry
